Pei Qian stood behind Ma Yang silently, looking at him being driven away by the enemy's heroes.
Eh? Was it not a rigged match?
Pei Qian was a little puzzled, seeing how the other side attacked so ruthlessly. It didn't seem like it was someone friendly.
Both sides fought extremely violently in a wave of team battles. The three teammates on their side and the five from the enemy team were indistinguishable. They managed to hit them down to three with superb coordination and tacit cooperation.
Another team member was frantically taking the lead. He successfully demolished two towers during this wave of team battle, threatening the opponent's high ground.
And Ma Yang…
Ran away in the midst of bloody cries for 'Boss Ma run away'. Pei Qian took a closer look. Ma Yang was playing as a strange beast hero. It looked like a wolf but had a sturdy body and a dragon tail. It had a huge head, two unicorn-shaped horns on top of its head. It had a huge basin as its mouth and looked rather uncoordinated. However, there was a strange sense of cuteness to it.
Pei Qian had a slight impression of this hero. It was a Taotie; its IP belonged to an old domestic animation. Of course, the figure in the animation was inspired by an exotic gluttonous animal in traditional culture.
The Taotie had many images. Everyone had different opinions, and there was no absolute right answer.
The Taotie in domestic animation was rather influential and had a high degree of recognition. That was why they bought the IP in this game.
This was a hero with both defense and team-building capabilities in the design of GOG. It could swallow both their teammate and enemy heroes. It could also control the enemy within a limited range and also activate skills to improve one's own damage reduction ability. In theory, this should be a rather good support hero to novices. One could just rush to the enemy's defense or use its swallowing skills to project your key teammates even if one was a novice.
It had a very high lower limit. Its upper limit wasn't too shabby as well.
However, in Old Ma's hands, this hero did not do anything of that sort. He slipped off, covered in blood, and sold his three teammates decisively.
Pei Qian couldn't help but sigh. He had seen many rigged games, but it was the first time he saw four tanks and one assist!
Pei Qian confirmed it after taking a closer look. The other party was really not a friendly opponent. It should be an enemy randomly matched online.
In previous 5v5 rigged games, the party on the opponent side acted realistically, but Pei Qian could see traces of the game being rigged. After all, allowing Old Ma to kill nine people in the game by himself could only be achieved with some rather inferior acting.
Now, the opponents seemed to be hitting Ma Yang rather cruelly. They did not seem like current employees but employees that left. Luckily, Old Ma escaped pretty fast; otherwise, he would have died miserably.
The other employees had spotted Pei Qian standing behind Ma Yang by now. However, none of them spoke, seeing the 'hush' gesture by Boss Pei.
Ma Yang wore the earphones and stared at the screen intently, unaware a person was standing behind him.
Nar
Of course, even if he did see Pei Qian, he would probably just greet him and go back to his game.
Old Ma might be muddled, but he never gave up on his teammates. He was still rather reliable from this point of view—if one did not consider his performance in the game.
Old Ma's current actions were no different from abandoning his teammates now.
Pei Qian watched on happily. If he was in the game and was Old Ma's teammate, he would probably have cursed him.
However, Pei Qian only had one thought in mind as a bystander.
Was there any food? Bring me some; I'm so hungry!
However, he could not help but sympathize with Boss Ma's four teammates. They were obviously better than the opponents, but they were hit so badly.
However, Pei Qian's smile gradually faded from his face as he watched on.
Extreme pleasure would end in sorrow!
Wait, this version of GOG… doesn't look right?
Ma Yang's last hit was executed so badly. Why did his equipment not fall too far behind? Also, wasn't his hero a support hero?
Ma Yang killed the enemy with the help of his teammates and was awarded an 800-yuan bounty?
Such a setting was relatively familiar to Pei Qian so he did not immediately realize that something was wrong.
However, he noticed something wrong immediately after thinking for a while!
The original GOG design wasn't like this because this game was copied from Gods Rising!
He took a closer look. Not only were there changes in the last hit and the rules to bounty, but even the map seemed smaller than what it was previously. The elements on the map seemed to be changed as well!
Pei Qian's heart sank and turned cold.
What's going on?!
Who modified the game? Why were there so many problems the more he looked into the details?
He wanted to inspect even closer, but the game was already over. It was a 405 most of the time, but Ma Yang's team still won because his teammates were really strong
Ma Yang took off his earphones and contentedly. "Winning streak!
"The special training some time ago really helped me gain improvement. We can now win randomly matched players continuously!" The employees around applauded, bootlicking all around.
"Boss Ma improved leaps and bounds!"
"Actually, Boss Ma's skills were rather good in the first place. You just did not meet good teammates until now."
"Even though Boss Ma did not win the MVP for this round, you played the biggest role in our victory!" Pei Qian remained silent.
Old Ma, this year's tree planting day has been over for quite some time now. Why hasn't a B-tree taken root in your heart?
Moreover, what a bunch of bootlickers you've hired… I can't continue listening anymore! Forget it, the bootlickers weren't important.
Let's clarify the problem with GOG first!
Pei Qian was a little speechless. Didn't Li Yada and Bao Xu travel to the United States for a tour?
How could you all still give me trouble being so far away? Or perhaps you buried this minefield for me before you left?
Luckily, I came to borrow notes from Old Ma today. If not, I don't know how long I would be kept in the dark!
Pei Qian subconsciously wanted to ask about the game but changed his mind. What would these investment individuals in Dream Realization Ventures know about GOG?
Forget it, he'd search for the answer himself!
Someone had pulled over a chair beside Ma Yang for Boss Pei to sit. Pei Qian gave a slight cough. "Did you bring it?"
Ma Yang nodded hurriedly. "Yes, Brother Qian, please keep it well."
He pulled out an ordinary-looking hardcover notebook from the drawer as he spoke.
Pei Qian reached for it and passed it to his chauffeur, Little Sun. Little Sun put this hardcover book hurriedly into his business bag for Boss Pei. No one else took another look.
What was in that book?
Probably some confidential information!
Why would Boss Pei personally make a trip down to take it from Boss Ma otherwise?
Pei Qian planned to find a copy shop to make a copy and take some time to memorize the notes for the only closed-book exam during the exam week.
However, the most important problem at hand was GOG.
"We haven't played together for some time. Up for one game?" Pei Qian suggested.
Ma Yang was elated. "Sure, Brother Qian! I'll also show you the results of my special training!"
Pei Qian remained silent. He was in total doubt about the results of Ma Yang's special training!
The sun would rise from the west if a slacker like Ma Yang could really improve with four professional players who would not outplay him no matter what.
However, Pei Qian's objective was to observe the current situation of GOG.
They entered the ten-person selection interface in no time.
Pei Qian was a little lost when faced with the dazzling array of heroes. Of course, there were only a dozen, which was not too many. The game was in the development phase after all.
However, Pei Qian had never played any of the heroes here so he naturally felt at a loss as to who to choose.
Pei Qian clicked on the heroes one by one to view their skills and introduction.
Pei Qian noticed a line of words under Modest, the Guardian of Justice: 'I would like to use this hero to pay tribute to Boss Pei, the Chief Designer of Tengda Games!'
Huh?
Pei Qian couldn't help but feel great.
Such inadvertent bootlicking was always irresistible!
Let's use it since it's my exclusive hero!
Pei Qian did not hesitate to use Modest, the Guardian of Justice.
He only noticed the many weapons behind the hero's back after he chose him. Why did he have so many weapons? Putting aside the knife, gun, and sword; why was there hayfork and broom?
What did this mean?
The Gate of Babylon(a) of the others was hidden in the void and could be summoned at any time. Why was my Gate of Babylon on my back?
The Iron Thrones[b] of the others were usually beneath their butts. Why is mine on my shoulders?
Was this part not thought through carefully?
Ma Yang turned towards Pei Qian just as he wanted to ask his question.
"Eh? Brother Qian, you're going to play as the Coin-Scattering Hedgehog?"
Pei Qian remained silent.
Why are you swearing at me? Pei Qian's face turned black. "What Coin-Scattering Hedgehog? Am I not the Guardian of Justice?"
Ma Yang replied. "Yes, yes, yes. He is the Guardian of Justice.
"But it's designed like a hedgehog. Moreover, he would scatter coins when stabbed in the back. It's a really fun character!"
Pei Qian remained silent.
He really wanted to know who designed this hero now. He had no other intentions but to give the designer a paid travel package to the Sahara Desert, Antarctica, and the tropical rainforests of East Africa to broaden their horizons.
[a]Please put a TL note for this. What does it mean?
[b]Same for this one.
Chapter 371 I'm Still the One at Fault?
Pei Qian wanted to switch his hero, but things had already been fixed, and the game was about to begin. He had no other choice but to play along.
Before entering the game, Pei Qian already saw a bad sign. As if filled with chemistry, everyone had already chosen their respective lanes!
There was a label next to each person's icon. The other three people quickly adjusted their own labels to say 'mid-laner', 'wanderer', and 'bottom laner' respectively.
Ma Yang also earnestly changed his own label to say 'commander'.
Pei Qian clicked on his own label and discovered that there was only one option left: 'top laner'.
He could not help but feel surprised. Wasn't this the classic way of splitting roles based on his own memory?
Something was amiss.
All of a sudden, Pei Qian felt like he had just traveled through time. The three lanes were still named in the same way: top, middle, and bottom. However, the 'jungler' and 'support' roles were now called 'wanderer' and 'commander'. Based on Pei Qian's memory, this method of splitting roles had already been employed in season one of IOI.
The game had not been completed in season one, and the method of splitting roles had still been left up to the teams to deal with in any way they wanted. However, during the world competition, Europe's elite team had figured out that splitting the roles in this way could guarantee that the team's resources would be maximized.
After that, this way of splitting roles was termed the 'EU Way'. It became more and popular until Riot Games made it the standard way of splitting roles in the game.
The facts had proven that splitting roles in this way was way more advantageous than cheating.
IS V
IO
The biggest benefit was that it made the game much easier for newbies to pick the skills up.
Every lane had a clear goal, appropriate heroes, and strategies. Even if new players did not understand the game, they could still focus on doing their duties in their respective lanes. That meant a team of five newbies could still do very well.
Team members did not have to fight for resources among themselves and cause bitterness before the game even began.
However, such a strategy should only have arisen about a year later.
Why was it coming up in GOG? Although the names of the roles were different, the overall effect was still the same.
Further, Pei Qian wondered who had been so despicable as to call the 'supporter' a 'commander'. It was no wonder that someone like Ma Yang, who loved recognition, would willingly take up a role like that.
Pei Qian had a bad feeling about this. However, after some thought, he decided not to panic or become anxious. He had just entered the game, and he had to wait until he had fully experienced it before he made a decision.
Pei Qian first tried out 'Coin-Scattering Hedgehog's moves.
Its passive skill was spending money.
Hitting Q caused it to scatter coins after being stabbed in the back.
Hitting W caused it to chase its employees away, forbidding them from working overtime.
Hitting E caused it to send employees on holiday.
Hitting R made it stab itself in the back continuously.
Pei Qian's face turned green.
Who had designed this? There was a huge problem! It was a subtle jab at him-it definitely was! If this had occurred in the evil past, Pei Qian would have officially persecuted them!
However, they were now in the bright, new age. As a boss, he had to be more magnanimous.
Alright, he would live and let live. He could always send the person on a surprise paid holiday to the Great East African rift valley or the haunted house.
As the game progressed, Pei Qian discovered more problems. Compared to Gods Rising, this game was far easier!
No matter how horrible one's last hit was, they could obtain bounty rewards. Even if one died, they did not lose money. There was an extra award for ending people's streaks, and the map was so small that teammates could offer assistance quickly. Pei Qian had a bad feeling about this.
It would be much easier for newbies to become good at this game!
However, as he played the game, Pei Qian noticed some positive things as well.
Firstly, the game was quite imbalanced.
Pei Qian had noticed that Modest was too powerful! Not only could it tank damage, but it could also deal considerable basic damage after developing normally. As long as one picked the right time to pentakill when everyone gathered together, the hero could trash everyone in team battles. One could also hit W to stop enemies from retreating, before charging at them and throwing coins at them rapidly.
Even while running away, the hero could deal damage to surrounding enemies. Hitting E would also toss Old Ma into the group of people. It was extremely fun to watch.
Of course, Old Ma's Taotie[1] would quickly swallow Pei Qian's hero and spit him out into the group of enemies as revenge.
However, the two would have vastly different endings.
As a solo top-laner that could tank damage, Pei Qian could deal damage to the others as they did the same to him. By throwing him into the group of enemies, Old Ma would be giving him the perfect opportunity to engage enemies.
On the other hand, Old Ma's Taotie was nothing but a supporter that could tank more damage. After being summoned into the group by Pei Qian, Ma Yang would suffer huge damage from the surrounding enemies.
Of course, the opponents would not go so far as to kill him off. They would only attack him symbolically before allowing Old Ma to escape. After all, it was not worth losing their jobs over.
Having played the game for some time, Pei Qian realized that GOG had not seemed to consider the problem of imbalance.
Either that, or they had not considered it hard enough.
The stronger heroes were so much more powerful than the weaker heroes that the latter would find it impossible to play the game. On top of that, although the game was playable, bugs still surfaced every now and then. Although they did not affect the game's operations, they still caused Pei Qian to feel irritated.
Furthermore, some details in the content had not been perfected.
Take the heroes' models, actions, and style, for example. It was the same for some mechanisms in the game as well. All of them could be improved.
Simply put, the game was only half-done. What's more, it was far from being completed.
After playing one round of the game, Pei Qian gave overall feedback for the current version of GOG.
Actually, the only merits of the fame were the fixed assignment of roles and the new way of obtaining gold coins in the game.
The most important parts of MOBA Games, such as the game's balance, the game's quality, the characters' IP, and the like were not very well-done. Furthermore, even though the barriers to the game had been lowered to some extent for newer players, GOG had not done it that well either.
In his heart, Pei Qian genuinely thought that GOG was far from complete.
He relaxed slightly. In the short-term, the game probably would not cause him many problems.
As for Modest, the hero that was meant to be a subtle, malicious jab at Pei Qian.
Pei Qian decided to let the matter rest. After all, the hero was very powerful and useful. Obviously, the designer had a conscience.
Still, while he could let the problems with the characters rest, he could not let the problems with the game go.
That was because hidden threats still existed.
Pei Qian looked at the half-complete GOG and fell into deep thought. The most pressing question to resolve was: who had made those modifications to the game?
All of a sudden, He Desheng spoke. "Boss Pei, what do you think of our suggestions? They're not bad, right?"
Pei Qian, "?"
He was perplexed.
"Your suggestions? What suggestions?"
He Desheng paused for a moment and then replied, "Our suggestions for the game's modifications! Increasing the bounty rewards, reducing the size of the map, and assigning fixed lanes… these were all our ideas!
"Our initial intention was to allow Boss Ma to have better gaming experience. However, it turned out to be quite successful!"
He Desheng was obviously trying to take credit for his achievements. After all, Dream Realization Ventures had not done any work ever since it invested in Finger Games back then.
Although Ma Yang was He Desheng and the others' direct superior, all of them knew very well that Boss Pei was the big boss.
Even if they managed to please Boss Ma, all their efforts would be wasted if Boss Pei decided to fire them.
Thus, He Desheng decided to grasp this rare opportunity to display his talents in front of Boss Pei.
He needed to let Boss Pei know that everyone was still contributing significantly to Tengda even though Dream Realization Ventures had no work on its hands at the moment!
What's more, he was not exactly stealing someone else's credit. Everyone had indeed come together to brainstorm modifications. The results had also proven to be good.
The version of GOG that was meant to be an offering to Boss Ma was more popular than the original version in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe. The data reflected this very clearly.
He Desheng wondered if Boss Pei would remember to reward this bunch of brothers even if he did not give them a pay raise on the spot.
Indeed, the corners of Boss Pei's lips curled upwards in an inexplicable smile. "Yes, your suggestions were very good. You've been a great help!"
He Desheng immediately looked embarrassed. "Boss Pei, you're flattering us. We're just doing our jobs!" Pei Qian was smiling on the outside but sniggering on the inside.
I've found the culprits! What's more, they had revealed themselves willingly!
Pei Qian had not even thought about them. He had thought that Li Yada's design team had been responsible for the modifications to GOG. Why would he have linked them to Dream Realization Ventures?
Yet, He Desheng shot himself in the foot and came clean on his own!
Alright, He Desheng. I shouldn't have kept you once I saw your name back then!
Pei Qian maintained the smile on his face as he asked, "How did you think of giving suggestions to modify GOG?"
Grinning, He Desheng explained, "At first, we only wanted to make sure that the game's system did not limit Boss Ma's outstanding talents.
"Furthermore, we were not just giving suggestions to modify GOG. We were also sending the same suggestions to Finger Games.
"Boss Pei, don't be too concerned about this. We were just offering a tiny bit of help based on our experience and skills!"
He Desheng was acting humble.
Pei Qian could not help but feel stunned. His thoughts had been interrupted. He was not concerned about He Desheng's pleasantries, but he was concerned about the line in the middle.
They had sent the same suggestions to Finger Games?
Didn't that mean that IOI and GOG would be going down the same path?
No, IOI would be ahead of GOG for sure. After all, Finger Games had larger investments, more time, and more manpower.
Yes… it was a false alarm.
Since IOI was going to be way ahead of GOG, there was no need for Pei Qian to worry anymore.
In any case, there could only be one winner.
Even if GOG could generate some profit in the short-term, Pei Qian would be able to spend all that money on buying as many copyrights as possible. It would not be a problem.
At that thought, Pei Qian relaxed slightly.
Alright, alright. This He Desheng does not deserve the death penalty. Pei Qian had almost decided to send him on a paid holiday to the Great East African rift valley. Since that was the case… he would let He Desheng live. However, he still had to be punished. They could not be allowed to play games any longer!
Pei Qian glanced at Ma Yang and then considered the precious supporting players beside him. He began to think about what had caused the entire mess in the first place.
GOG was now more newbie-friendly because of the suggestions made by He Desheng and the others. Their suggestions had purely been aimed at improving Boss Ma's gaming experience.
Boss Ma was only playing games all day because…
He had nothing else to do.
Why was that? It was because Pei Qian had not given him any more money after Ma Yang spent the twenty million yuan. All work at Dream Realization Ventures had stopped since then.
The more Pei Qian considered those things, the more he realized one thing: 'I'm still the one at fault?'
[1] This is a ferocious mythological animal that resembles a dragon.
Chapter 372 Don't Blame Me for Being Ruthless!
Pei Qian could not accept this conclusion.
No way, no way! This doesn't make sense! I have to make some changes!
If he allowed Ma Yang to continue playing, He Desheng and the rest would continue to make suggestions to improve GOG. Then, the situation would develop out of Pei Qian's control.
He had to give Old Ma some work to do.
After some consideration, Pei Qian said in a serious voice, "Old Ma, don't play games anymore."
He turned to address He Desheng and the others. "You as well. You're not allowed to play games with Boss Ma anymore." He Desheng's face drained of all color.
What's happening? Have my efforts to curry favor backfired? Were our suggestions bad? Did they go against the design concept that Boss Pei had in mind?
Or is Boss Pei unhappy with us because he thinks that we're not taking our jobs seriously?
The atmosphere in the office immediately became tense.
There was no big deal about the rule that they could not play games anymore. However, everyone was more worried about leaving a bad impression on Boss Pei's mind!
Pei Qian continued, "I'll transfer another sum of money to Dream Realization Ventures soon. Think about new investment projects that we can contribute to."
Everyone in the office visibly relaxed.
He Desheng could not help but feel ashamed for his attitude earlier.
What was I thinking about?! Is Boss Pei that petty?
Look, Boss Pei's not even angry. In fact, he's rewarding us!
The best outcome that He Desheng had thought of earlier was an increase in salary.
However, Boss Pei was now offering Dream Realization Ventures another sum of money. That was even better than getting a pay raise!
Pei Qian had no idea what He Desheng was thinking. However, he knew that whatever the latter was thinking was probably a far cry from whatever he was thinking.
After what happened the previous time, Pei Qian had intended to leave Dream Realization Ventures with no work to do for a period.
However, he had discovered that the group of employees had started working on GOG while they had nothing else to do. That was extremely dangerous!
He had to give them something.
Although Boss Pei did not have much spare cash left, Tengda's businesses were now quite big. He could afford to fork out another three or four million yuan without much issue.
However, the outcome of Ma Yang's investment in IOI had not been revealed yet. For now, Pei Qian found it difficult to trust Ma Yang again.
Pei Qian had to take charge of the investment this time!
Ma Yang nodded profusely. "Alright, Brother Qian, no problem! I'll spend the money as quickly as possible!"
Pei Qian's expression darkened. "No, no, no. Don't be so rash this time.
"Look around for a while. Find more dream realization projects. I'll come over after some time, and we can discuss things before you make a decision."
Ma Yang looked confused. "Brother Qian, weren't you the one who taught me to be daring and invest when I should, without hesitating? Didn't you tell me to invest in whatever I liked and trust in my own instincts?"
Pei Qian cleared his throat twice. "Hehe, I did say that before. You're right.
"However, that was when you were new to investing. You had just joined the industry. I kept emphasizing to you not to hesitate in order to nurture your decisiveness in making investments!
"Now, the situation is different. You already have experience investing twenty million yuan. It's time to advance to the next stage."
A realization dawned on Ma Yang. "Alright, Brother Qian. What's the next stage? Go ahead!"
Pei Qian pondered for a moment and said, "I have to show this to you using an actual project and analysis. Without a project in front of us, we'll just be talking in abstract. We might end up becoming dogmatic.
"How about this? Choose a proposal based on my requirements. Collect any proposal that reflects big dreams.
"I'll make another trip down after some time in order to discuss with you which project to invest in!"
Ma Yang nodded. "Alright, Brother Qian. No problem!"
Then, he turned to the supporting players behind him. "Did you hear that? I'm going to be your role model before we make the next investment. Stop playing games, everyone!" Everyone nodded and replied, "Alright, Boss Ma!"
A smile surfaced on He Desheng's face.
He liked playing games, but he had not forgotten that he was an investor. He had come to Dream Realization Ventures to learn the elite ways of investment from Boss Pei!
Boss Ma had spent the twenty million too quickly earlier. As a mere executor, He Desheng could not understand what was happening. During this period, He Desheng had been constantly hoping to witness Boss Pei make another move.
Now, the opportunity was here!
He wondered what kind of project Boss Pei — the master of investments—would pour his money into.
He couldn't wait to see it!
December 30th, Thursday…
The New Year's Day holiday was right around the corner. Exams week was looming.
Pei Qian had spent all of last night trying to memorize Ma Yang's notes. When he woke up in the morning, his head felt heavy.
After ordering Fish-Catching Take-Out, Pei Qian's left eyelid started to twitch.
"If the left eyelid twitches, it's good luck; if the right eyelid twitches, it's bad luck. "Oh, no! Something is up!"
Pei Qian immediately became cautious.
He sat down beside his study table and retrieved his little notebook. Then, he scanned the businesses that could have run into trouble.
Although Pei Qian knew that he was being superstitious, there was a classic Chinese saying that constant self-reflection was desirable. There was nothing wrong with Pei Qian diligently self-reflecting.
He quickly considered all the businesses that he had on hand.
The leaders of Tengda Games and Shang Yang Games were on holiday in the United States. The problem probably was not with those projects.
Work on the haunted house had not even begun. They did not even have a plan to work on yet. Seeing how inefficient the two leaders of this project were, Pei Qian guessed that the problem did not lie with this project as well.
Fish-Catching Take-Out and Upwind Logistics had been making losses steadily. Fei Huang Workspace was still filming. Nothing dangerous could have happened yet. Pei Qian shortlisted the possible problematic projects and ended up with ROF and Fish-Catching Internet Cafe.
ROF had just dealt Pei Qian a huge blow not long ago. It was a serious suspect!
However, Pei Qian did not want to wrong the innocent. Thus, he called Zhang Yuan to check in on him first.
"Hello? Boss Pei?" Zhang Yuan sounded quite tired.
Pei Qian became alert at once. He asked, "You sound exhausted."
Zhang Yuan answered, "That's right, Boss Pei. We've been busy making orders recently. It's not easy to buy so many parts in bulk, but don't worry, Boss Pei. I'm almost done!" Pei Qian asked again, "How are ROF's sales?" Smiling, Zhang Yuan replied, "Oh, rest assured, Boss Pei! Everything's going well!
"I was worried that our sales volume would suffer after we reverted to the original prices. However, that didn't happen!
"Although the sales volume decreased, raising the selling price meant that we earned more per system unit sold. Thus, we're still generating the same amount of profits!
"It looks like ROF's brand already has considerable influence on the market. We have more or less made a name for ourselves. There's still a steady stream of people buying our system units.
"I was worried for no reason. Boss Pei, you have everything planned out!
"I've already spent all of ROF's funds on filling its warehouses, just like you instructed. Now, even the distribution points near the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes have been filled. The warehouse is more or less filled as well. There's still another batch of stocks on the way.
"We have to thank our brothers at Upwind Logistics for their hard work! This time, we won't have to worry about supply at all!
"Even if we receive many orders during the New Year's Day holiday, our warehouses are full enough for us to deliver customers' orders on the day itself!"
The corners of Pei Qian's mouth twitched. Something was indeed up!
People are still buying the system units even though they've reverted to their original prices?
Isn't that awful? I'm earning even more for each computer sold!
The computers had reverted to their original prices and were now three to four hundred yuan more expensive than before. Pei Qian had not expected people to still be interested in purchasing them!
However, on further thought, that made sense.
Who was ROF's target audience? They were people who desired convenience.
People who could assemble their own computers would not think about purchasing ROF's system units-unless the entire system unit cost less than all the parts combined. However, such a situation would only arise if Boss Pei ran promotional events to incur losses on purpose.
However, the current problem was that, after several promotional events; ROF was now quite well-known online, especially in Jingzhou.
Those who had purchased ROF's computers were already seeing the value of its products
All the parts were of good quality. The configuration was clear, and there were no gaps. Delivery was speedy, and any problems could be repaired at their doorstep.
ROF offered much more convenience than many other brands in Jingzhou. Naturally, some would recommend ROF to their friends.
Thus, ROF was becoming reputable.
Those who did not know how to assemble their own computers and craved convenience would buy ROF's system units even if they cost three to four hundred yuan more.
After all, nobody knew when the next promotional event would be run. What's more, spending more money on convenience for something as important as a computer would not be considered overboard.
That was the downside of being well-known: customers wouldn't care about a slight increase in price!
Had this brand developed its own brand premium?
Pei Qian was a little flustered.
If things continued down this path, it would mean bad news! Pei Qian had to think of something fast! He remained quiet for a moment and then asked, "Do you have time this afternoon? I want to take a look at the warehouse."
Zhang Yuan immediately answered, "I do! Boss Pei, what time will you be coming over?"
Pei Qian glanced at his watch. "I'll reach the warehouse at about 3 PM."
Zhang Yuan answered, "Alright, Boss Pei! No problem! I'll be at the warehouse on time to receive you!"
After hanging up, Pei Qian sighed inwardly.
He had no other choice. Things were beginning to spin out of control. He had to activate his killer weapon!
Although Pei Qian was still three months from settlement, Zhang Yuan's ROF computer-installation business had been silently generating profit. It looked like the business would only continue to improve.
If Pei Qian did not do something, the situation would probably blow up in his face in three months!
He had to orchestrate a few setbacks.
Pei Qian said in his heart, "Zhang Yuan, don't blame me for being ruthless. I'll give you a greater bonus in the future as compensation…"
After that, Pei Qian called Little Sun.
"Send me to the warehouse in the afternoon. Go back to the office and fetch Tang Yishu as well."
Chapter 373 The Halo Effect
At 3 PM…
In the warehouse in Jingzhou City's outskirts…
Little Sun and Pei Qian alighted from the car. Tang Yishu followed behind them timidly. She had no idea why her senior had pulled her along, but she did not dare to ask too many questions either.
Zhang Yuan was already standing outside the warehouse, ready to receive them.
The warehouse was not huge. Zhang Yuan had reported beforehand that the warehouse had a total area of about four thousand square meters. There was only one level, and rent cost 0.7 yuan per square meter per day.
In sum, rent cost eighty thousand yuan per month.
Bigger warehouses normally measured ten to twenty thousand square meters. Naturally, rent would be more expensive. However, since this warehouse would mainly store computer parts, four thousand square meters was already more than enough.
Upwind Logistics' main purpose was to solve the problem of the last kilometer. Other delivery companies would deliver packages to Upwind Logistics, and Upwind Logistics would then deliver those packages to customers' doorsteps.
Thus, the Upwind courier stations provided most of the storage space required. Upwind Logistics did not need much more storage space at the moment.
However, for various other reasons, some packages were still stored in this warehouse.
For Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and ROF Computer-Installation-which Zhang Yuan was in charge of, working with Upwind Logistics proved to be a win-win situation. Upwind Logistics delivered ROF's parcels to customers' doorsteps while ROF allowed Upwind Logistics to store some of their packages in the former's warehouse.
In any case, they were under the same parent company, and they were not spending their own money. Thus, they were all quite easygoing.
At first, the warehouses around Jingzhou City only served to burn money. They offered great assistance to Boss Pei.
However, ROF's losses had already turned to profits. Not only could the revenue cover the costs of renting the warehouses, but they could also serve to expand ROF's business. This pained Pei Qian terribly.
Zhang Yuan felt nervous initially because he had thought that Boss Pei had come to inspect the warehouses for the first time.
Yet, Pei Qian had told him over the phone that he was only going to visit for fun and that Zhang Yuan should not make a mountain out of a molehill.
Zhang Yuan knew that Boss Pei was a practical person who did not like his employees to make a big deal out of him. Thus, Zhang Yuan only bothered to arrive slightly earlier. He had also instructed his employees to tidy the place up, but he did not go so far as to organize a spring cleaning.
He was quite confident about the warehouse's state.
Zhang Yuan led Boss Pei and the others in.
It was Pei Qian's first time visiting the warehouse. His first impression was not a bad one. It was neat and tidy, and the lighting was quite good. Various computer parts had been split into sections and displayed on shelves. Although they were a little messy, it still almost passed for being orderly. After all, all of these parts were to be assembled into a system unit, which was the biggest item in the warehouse. They did not take much space.
"Boss Pei, look. These are the shelves where we place various computer parts. Since we order the computer parts in bulk, they would be delivered to this warehouse at regular intervals.
"Once they arrive, someone would be put in charge of moving the parts to their respective shelves.
"We also have an assembly line.
"We use pure manpower, and the process is extremely simple. Boss Pei, it might be quite embarrassing to show you." Zhang Yuan led Pei Qian around the warehouse as he introduced different parts of it to him.
Obviously, he took a lot of pride in ROF's computer-installation business. This was his niche after all.
The so-called assembly line was made up of a couple of long work tables lined up side by side.
There was a belt on the work table, and several people were evenly spread out around it. Those people had various individual parts behind them and partly-assembled machines in front of them.
Each person was put in charge of one step in the process, and the various steps took about the same time to complete.
Two people would be put in charge of the more complicated steps that took slightly longer than others, such as cable management. Each of them would work on one machine at a time.
Everyone also had a button in front of them. Once they were done with their machine, they would hit the button. Once everyone hit their respective buttons, the belt on the work tables would automatically move to the right.
That way, everyone only needed to focus on their respective tasks and make sure that they were completed on time. If they finished earlier, they could rest for a while. That was much more efficient than making each of them assemble an entire system unit on their own.
From the first step of installing the CPU into the motherboard to the last step of installing the system lights, everyone would focus on their respective tasks and work in an orderly fashion.
Once the system lights were installed, the machines would be checked. Then, a professional would package the system unit and prepare for it to be shipped to various distribution points around Jingzhou City.
After customers placed their orders, Upwind Logistics' delivery men would retrieve the machines from various distribution points and deliver them to the customers' doorsteps.
Pei Qian immediately felt threatened.
This Zhang Yuan was really quite good. He could come up with so many tricks for such an ordinary and boring computer-installation business.
"Not bad."
Against his true feelings, Pei Qian briefly praised Zhang Yuan so that the latter grinned brightly. After that, Pei Qian led Tang Yishu and Little Sun around the warehouse.
Nothing happened even after they completed their round.
Pei Qian was shocked and slightly disappointed.
Places like warehouses normally contained many hidden threats to safety. For example, there could be electrical, fire, or physical safety hazards.
As Pei Qian walked around the warehouse, he had remained on high alert in case a fire suddenly broke out, a short circuit occurred, or something dropped from a shelf.
Yet, even after they completed their round, nothing happened!
Pei Qian had to say that something had gone wrong with logic-no, metaphysics. He took a closer look around the warehouse and realized that there were indeed no safety hazards.
Since the warehouse was so huge, the shelves were very well spaced out.
Those shelves had only been purchased a few months ago. All of them were very steady, and they all stored digital hardware. Of course, it was almost impossible for collapsing or dangerous stacking to occur. In terms of electric cables, Pei Qian guessed that Zhang Yuan had stuck strictly to safety standards. All electrical guidelines had been strictly adhered to; power points were cased up, mains switches were located outside the warehouse, and everything was inspected and maintained regularly.
All in all, at this stage, it would probably be extremely difficult for one to find a safety hazard in the warehouse! Pei Qian felt melancholic after walking around.
I've already brought Tang Yishu here. Am I really still helpless?
Zhang Yuan, Zhang Yuan… are you really that awesome?
Pei Qian found nothing helpful despite having looked around the warehouse. He had no choice but to go back to the computer-assembly area and find a chair to sit down.
At that moment, Pei Qian noticed that the assembly line was made up of special, custom-made, elevated work stations. There were even chairs behind each young man in the line.
The work stations would be raised or lowered every now and then. If the young men felt tired from sitting down for too long, they could stand. If they felt tired from standing for too long, they could sit. Their health was being very well taken care of. Zhang Yuan looked extremely proud of himself as he asked, "What do you think, Boss Pei? I haven't disappointed you, have I?" Sorrowfully, Pei Qian said, "Yes, you've done well…"
Pei Qian had not expected things to turn out like that before he came. Zhang Yuan was practically invulnerable.
Could Pei Qian really not find anything wrong with the warehouse despite having brought the halo effect with him?
That was illogical!
Tang Yishu sat by the side. Environments like that naturally made her feel uncomfortable. At that moment, someone served them a can of cold cola and a bottle of warm green tea.
This was a warehouse after all. Of course, the conditions were not as good as the internet cafes. However, Zhang Yuan had set up refrigerators commonly found in convenience stores and insulated heated cabinets. That way, at least everyone could drink some beverages and release steam when they were stressed.
As Pei Qian sipped his cola, he slowly lost his courage.
As the saying went, man proposed and God disposed.
It looks like the Heavens are intent on driving me to my death.
Since that's the case, I should let him be. So what if ROF generates profit? I'll think of other ways to spend that money…
Just as Pei Qian started drinking his cola, he heard one of the young men in the assembly line in front of him mutter, "Eh?"
Pei Qian's eyes lit up. There seemed to be some hope. He could see very clearly that the computer had not lit up!
This meant that something had gone wrong with the computer, and it could not work as per usual!
The young men at the assembly line were all adept at their work. The chances of them making mistakes while assembling the systems were very low. The only explanation for that faulty computer was that something had gone wrong with the hardware!
Obviously, the man knew that he was being supervised by his superiors. Thus, he did not dare to raise his voice. Instead, he quietly handed the system unit to the man beside him, who was in charge of quality control. The latter was to find the problematic part.
The next computer from the assembly line quickly arrived before him. The man tested the next computer and heaved a sigh of relief when he found no problems.
However, the newly-assembled computer before the young man in front of him crashed.
He scratched his head, confused. However, without saying a word, he also handed the computer to the man in charge of quality control beside him.
Pei Qian kept drinking his cola, pretending that he had not seen all of these.
Beads of cold sweat began to form on Zhang Yuan's forehead.
What's going on?! Everything has been fine up until now. Why are you only messing up when Boss Pei's here for inspections?
All of the workers were very experienced. They had already assembled many computers before. The problem was probably not with their handiwork.
However, there was a screen that could not light up and a blue screen of death. Obviously, there was a problem with the hardware.
A broken motherboard, a broken CPU, a broken hard disk, or a broken RAM… could have caused it.
Indeed, any of those parts could have been problematic. However… how did two computers get affected in such a short period?
Pei Qian finished his cola and smiled inexplicably.
Then, he stood up and said, "The warehouse is not bad. Keep working hard. I still have work to do. I'll make a move."
Zhang Yuan felt like he had just been shown great mercy. He quickly answered, "Alright, Boss Pei! You're welcome to conduct inspections again any time!"
It was only after he had sent Boss Pei off that Zhang Yuan heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Thankfully, Boss Pei didn't seem to notice!
Zhang Yuan would have had a hard time explaining himself if Boss Pei had noticed them since the problems only cropped up when Boss Pei came to inspect the warehouse.
Boss Pei probably would not have believed Zhang Yuan if the latter explained that everything had been fine until the former came around!
Zhang Yuan quickly walked towards the assembly line and asked, "What's happening? Haven't things been fine all along?"
The young man in charge of quality control looked equally confused. "I'm not sure either. There are problems with the hardware…"
Zhang Yuan was speechless. "Fix it quickly. Arrange for refunds if we can. Otherwise, send the parts for repair."
They had just gotten the new stock not long ago. The seven-day unconditional refund period still had not passed for most of them.
Although a portion of the parts could not be refunded unconditionally, they were still under warranty.
However, whether they refunded the parts and placed a new order or repaired the parts, they would require more time.
The journey to and fro would hold back their progress. After some consideration, Zhang Yuan said, "Order a new batch of low-quality hardware like batteries, motherboards, hard disks, RAM… oh yes, order more RAM.
It was unlikely for there to be problems with RAM, but ROF was in the business of selling high-end, custom-made system units. High-end units that cost over ten thousand yuan normally contained many RAM sticks.
One computer only required one CPU, one motherboard, and one monitor. However, it required four RAM sticks. There was a higher chance that problems would occur with those RAM sticks.
Thus, Zhang Yuan decided to be prepared. RAM sticks were not that expensive anyway. There would be no harm in purchasing more.
Chapter 374 First Stab in the Back of the Year 2011!
December 31st…
Zhang Yuan arrived at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Handong University early in the morning. After ordering a cup of coffee, he sipped it nonchalantly and browsed Tieba, intending to see if any interesting posts had been made by the netizens.
He had arranged for his employees to either refund all the problematic parts or send them for repair yesterday. He had also spent the remaining funds in the account on computer parts that had higher chances of malfunctioning. In particular, he had placed more orders for RAM sticks.
Although there were significant costs involved in hoarding parts like that, Zhang Yuan was more concerned about ROF's reputation.
When the business had just started out, Boss Pei had poured huge sums of money into running 1024 Digital Day to build a name for it.
If the reputation was ruined by quality problems, wouldn't Boss Pei's hard work all be wasted?
Thus, Zhang Yuan had to guarantee good quality! He had to make sure that none of the computers malfunctioned. He also had to provide the best after-sales services to customers and ensure ROF had enough stock so that customers could receive their system units on the day that they placed their orders.
After working on all of those things, Zhang Yuan finally found time to relax.
Tomorrow was New Year's Day of 2011, and the holiday would last for three days. That meant Zhang Yuan could take a good break.
Zhang Yuan sipped his coffee slowly as he browsed Tieba.
All of a sudden, a post on Tieba caught his attention.
'MSC's Factory Caught Fire Again?'
"F*ck! RAM prices are going to rise, right?"
"Unscrupulous!"
"Sh*t, it looks like the prices are already rising."
"I was waiting for New Year's Day to see if there would be any promotional events online so that I could assemble my own system unit! Now, that's all gone down the drain! What a waste!"
"We're finished. The unscrupulous merchants have responded instantly!"
"What exactly is happening? Why are their factories catching fire so often? Would their factories burn from Singles Day last year to 618[1] this year?"
"The experienced ones among us would know whether this really was an accident or not. I'm guessing that the manufacturers had set the factory on fire on purpose."
"I think so, too! These manufacturers' factories are taking turns to catch fire. On top of that, there would be floods and power shortages. Why don't they just tell us directly that they would be reducing supply and increasing prices?!"
"The fire seemed quite serious this time. Wafer production was probably gravely affected as well. That means that RAM aside, the prices of flash drives would likely rise, too…"
As he read the netizens' discussion, Zhang Yuan first felt confused and then pleasantly surprised.
He quickly accessed a shopping website to check the prices of the RAM sticks he had purchased before. They were now over thirty yuan more expensive!
What's more, this was only the beginning. Zhang Yuan guessed that the prices would only continue to go up over the week.
After all, Zhang Yuan had been keeping up to date with Tieba for a long time. He knew very well how such things would develop. Each time prices of RAM sticks dropped to new lows, a factory would catch fire or experience a power shortage. Then, there would be news reports about manufacturers losing thousands of millions of yuan. After that, unscrupulous merchants would increase the prices of RAM sticks at once.
Even so, nobody knew when the 'accidents' would occur.
If they did, they would have bought a huge batch of RAM sticks for storage so that they could generate profits during that period. To Zhang Yuan, the news would have been bad.
This was because ROF's computer-installation business had a similar pricing strategy as those other brands. Based on Boss Pei's guidance, the original prices had already accounted for ROF's brand premium and the value of their after-sales services. They were not to be adjusted frequently
If they wanted to increase the prices, they had to upgrade the hardware; if they wanted to reduce the prices, they had to run promotional events but not too many.
The main aim of this strategy was to get rid of customers' worries and create the impression that ROF was a good-hearted and reliable brand with products that retained their value well.
The rising RAM prices would have caused the entire system to become more expensive. People might take ROF for an unscrupulous merchant; that would be bad for its reputation.
Thus, an increase in RAM prices would have been bad news to Zhang Yuan. If their costs increased but they kept their selling price the same, they would have generated much less profit.
Yet, the situation was different.
Zhang Yuan had already ordered a batch of hardware. He had placed more orders for RAM sticks especially because he had considered the standard of four RAM sticks for each high-end system worth over ten thousand yuan. Thus, he had hoarded a huge load of them!
To customers, that meant that the price-quality ratio of ROF's high-end system units would go through the roof. Buying ROF's system units would cost less than buying individual parts to assemble their own!
At the same time—even if Zhang Yuan sold the systems at their original prices, ROF would still be able to generate huge profits.
Of course, he could also consider increasing prices.
However, that was not aligned with the Tengda spirit. It would also not help to increase ROF's market share.
Thus, after some consideration, Zhang Yuan decided to sell the current stock at their original prices!
Since RAM would be more expensive, Zhang Yuan also decided to make adjustments to the next batch of hardware. He would upgrade some parts and increase the selling prices based on the new costs.
Of course, those problems would only have to be resolved later. That was because they had already ordered a lot of hardware this time.
At that thought, Zhang Yuan could barely sit still.
He immediately called his employees, instructing them to design a new batch of posters to be displayed at the entrance of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe branches. At the same time, he instructed them to update the publicity page on their online shop as well.
The contents of the advertisement would be simple. There would be no discounts or sales, but the prices would not increase either!
January 1st of 2011, Saturday…
The New Year's Day holiday would last from January 1st to January 3rd. Pei Qian happily gave himself a break to rest.
The thought of Li Yada, Lin Wan, and the others returning from the United States on the 4th made Pei Qian's head hurt.
Has one week passed so quickly?
Ai, time flies when you're having fun.
Pei Qian strolled out of his house, towards Fish-Catching Internet Cafe's Handong University branch to sit around, have some coffee, play some games, and relax.
However, when he reached the entrance of the internet cafe, he realized that something was amiss.
Why were there so many people?!
There was a long line at the entrance of the internet cafe, which extended all the way to the roadside!
Of course, the line was a far cry from those seen at sales buildings or train stations. It looked like there were only ten-odd people in line.
However, that scene was extremely rare at Fish-Catching Internet Cafe!
That was because Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was huge. Although there weren't many computer stations in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe 1.0, those who wanted to wait for a seat could do so in the coffee area, the mini cinema, or the book area. There was no need to line up by the road.
Furthermore, the traffic at the internet cafe should have stabilized by now. There shouldn't have been so many people visiting the internet cafe even though it was New Year's Day.
Pei Qian tried to look in and became acutely aware that the problem was much more serious than he had imagined!
The coffee area in Fish-Catching Internet Cafe was not full, and neither was the internet area.
The long line only began at the counter. A pathway had even been set aside for customers to walk in and out as they pleased.
The few people at the front of the line were only filling up forms at the counter. They turned and left after paying money. None of them headed to the internet area!
The more Pei Qian saw, the more confused he became. What was happening? At that moment, a waiter tried to maintain order by shouting, "Don't be anxious, everyone! Line up in an orderly manner! You can also place your order online! The URL is located on the poster outside the entrance!"
Pei Qian glanced at the poster, feeling more perplexed than before. The URL of ROF Computer-Installation's online store was written on the poster. The configurations of the three different types of system units were also there.
However, those were the original prices. Neither the configurations nor the prices had changed. Why had those people rushed down so early in the morning to fill up forms and purchase ROF's system units?
Pei Qian had a bad feeling about this. It seemed like there had been developments that he was unaware of!
Once again, the waiter shouted. "I'll remind everyone once more that ROF provides repair services at your doorstep. We can also deliver upgraded hardware to your doorstep. The respective fees are already written on the flyers. "However, please take note of the disclaimer on the flyers. If you want to upgrade a part, you must keep the original part. Do not sell or transfer it, or you would not be able to enjoy this after-sales service…"
Pei Qian was even more confused now. Why did the waiter have to remind them of this specifically?
Feeling very suspicious, he entered Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and spotted Zhang Yuan, who was sipping his coffee with a proud look on his face.
"What's happening?" Beads of perspiration formed on Pei Qian's forehead.
Zhang Yuan smiled subtly. "Boss Pei, MSC's factory caught fire, and RAM prices are soaring!"
"Huh?" Pei Qian's face was a mask of bewilderment. At that moment, he could not understand the story behind what was happening Zhang Yuan said, "RAM sticks used to cost over two hundred yuan. Now, they're selling for over three hundred yuan!
"The prices would probably only continue to increase in the near future!
"Our high-end system units contain four RAM sticks each. Now, each one of those is worth a hundred yuan more. In addition to the slight increase in hard disk prices, each system unit's hardware alone is now worth over five hundred yuan more than before!
"Now, apart from computer-installation novices, even computer-installation professionals would find our system units incredibly worth their prices!
"Thanks to the hard work that you put into making a name for ROF earlier, our computers are now selling wildly!
"Don't worry, Boss Pei. I have kept your words in mind this entire time. I didn't increase the system units' prices like the other unscrupulous merchants did!
"I only released news that the prices of ROF's system units would remain the same yesterday. Yet, today, many people came from all over Jingzhou to order computers. We also managed to sell tens of system units through our online shop alone! "I think we should be able to sell over a thousand system units during the New Year's Day holiday period, and this is a conservative estimate!"
Pei Qian's face immediately drained of all color. He instinctively tried to think of a solution to this problem, but he could not think of anything.
Should he increase the selling prices?
He could not do that. He had already said before that he wanted to keep the prices stable. Wouldn't he be slapping himself in the face if he asked Zhang Yuan to increase the prices now? What's more, even if they increased prices now, people would still purchase ROF's system units. Then, ROF would be generating more profit for each system unit sold!
Should he lower the selling prices, then?
That would make matters even worse. Crowds were already rushing to buy the system units. If they lowered the prices further, they might earn less profit. However, ROF's reputation would only improve. Then, Pei Qian would be in a greater fix in the future.
Pei Qian began to feel light-headed. At that moment, he realized that he could not come up with a good strategy; this problem was unresolvable!
Yet, Zhang Yuan looked overjoyed. "At the end of the day, this was a blessing in disguise!
"Boss Pei, you told me to rent more warehouses and store more stocks before. Now, they're all going to prove useful!
"If we did not have enough stocks prepared, we might have sold out in a single day. Then, we would have had to purchase the hardware at the increased prices, and our profits would have been greatly reduced!
"What's more, a problem suddenly arose with the hardware yesterday, and we either refunded them or sent them for repair. I was worried that the rest of the hardware would malfunction as well, and so I ordered a new batch in advance. I even bought more RAM sticks in particular.
"From the looks of the current situation, the RAM sticks we have purchased would probably last us for a long time. Our next goal would be for ROF to dominate the desktop market in Jingzhou!
"We can already start pulling in customers who assemble their own computers or purchase branded system units!"
Pei Qian sat down in the coffee area, feeling breathless.
That's not right. Did something go wrong somewhere…?
Pei Qian began to doubt his life.
It was only January 1st. 2011 had just begun! He would never have thought that the first blow of the new year would have been dealt so soon!
[1] This is a major shopping festival in China, held on June 18th.